Genesis 50:15-18 After Jacob's death, the brothers of Joseph fear that he harbors a grudge which he will now feel free to express. Why, after all that has happened and Joseph's care for the family for seventeen years, do the brothers have such fears? What had they left undone when they were first reconciled to Joseph that left room for such suspicions? Were the brothers telling the truth about what they said Jacob had said to them. What lessons are we to learn about experiencing God's forgiveness from this narrative? How were the brothers trying to leverage forgiveness from Joseph? What was wrong with this? Why did Joseph weep when he received the message from his brothers? What did Joseph mean by saying he was not in God's place? What is forgiveness? What is the relationship between forgiveness and retribution? (62 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Forgiveness, Sin

Genesis 50:1-14 In this study the narrator of Genesis tells us the striking story of the mourning and burial of Jacob. In all of Scripture there is no other account of someone's burial that goes into such detail. What important points is the Lord wanting to impress upon us with this account? What does God want to leave in our minds concerning the man Jacob? What is the importance of this story at the end of the patriarchal era? Why does a person of faith, like Joseph, grieve so much over the death of his beloved father? How is Joseph's arrival back in Mamre similar to his departure from Canaan as a slave many years before? What are we to learn from the fact that the family returned to Egypt following the burial of their father in their land of promise? (48 min)

Keywords Jacob, Death, Egypt, Joseph

Genesis 49:16-33 In this lesson we continue to consider the blessing Jacob pronounced on the descendants of his twelve sons. Who were the "peoples" who would give obedience to Shiloh? What was the true source of the blessings/prophecies which Jacob pronounced? How were these blessings a help to the tribes of Israel? How and when were these blessings realized? How can we be helped by thinking about Jacob blessing his descendants at this particular time in their history? In Jacob's charge to his sons concerning his burial, why does he repeatedly stipulate so precisely the exact place? Why is God so concerned about "place" in Genesis and throughout scripture? What comfort and encouragement can we draw from the narrator's description of Jacob's death? (46 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Blessing

Genesis 49:1-15 In this lesson we begin examining the third major faith event at the conclusion of Jacob's life, the blessing of his twelve sons. The passage is both prophetic and poetic. How should these aspects of the passage influence the way we understand the blessings? What caused Reuben to forfeit his preeminence in the family? Why did Jacob not want his family's glory to be associated with Simeon or Levi? In what way would the tribe of Issachar relinquish some of the blessings that were intended for it in the land of promise? How is that analogous to how we as Christians sometimes live? What animal is representative of the future of the tribe of Judah? Who or what is "Shiloh?" What does the reference to Judah tying his donkey to a grape vine represent? To what does all this talk about Judah ultimately point? (60 min)

Keywords Jacob, Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi

Genesis 48:5-22 We continue the account of Jacob's adoption and blessing of Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. What is this about the young men being at the knees of Jacob? Why did Joseph bow down before his father, who had earlier bowed to him? How is this a metaphor of our own adoption by God? Why did Joseph arrange his sons the way he did? Once again we find the rule of primogeniture set aside in the story of the patriarchs. What can we learn from this repeated disregard of this cultural norm? In what three ways does Jacob identify the God whom he invokes in his blessing? How are these significant? How has Jacob changed as he grew older? What brought about these changes in his life? How is the end of Jacob's life instructive to us? (67 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Blessing, Adoption, Ephraim, Manasseh

Genesis 48:1-4 In this week's lesson we consider the second of the three key things which Jacob did at the end of his life. The first was to arrange for his burial in Canaan. The second is to adopt and bless the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim. It is important not to view this passage as the ramblings of an aged and ailing man. What is the significance of Jacob collecting his strength to sit up on the bed? Why does the narrator refer to him as Israel at that moment? How has Jacob changed from his early life? Why does Jacob recall for Joseph his own experience at Luz in Canaan (Bethel)? What are the key aspects of God's appearance to him at Luz which Jacob mentions here? What three subtle differences in how Jacob retells the story of Bethel reflect his current frame of mind here at the end of his life? (53 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Bethel, Ephraim, Manasseh

Genesis 47:27-31 In this passage a dramatic contrast is shown between the condition of the Egyptians and that of the family of Israel. Why did God bless Israel in contrast to the Egyptians? Why does God bless us? We also encounter in this section the first of three experiences in Jacob's life as he nears death. Each of these incidents reveal a man who has moved from fatalism to faith. What is the significance of Jacobs age? What are the two aspects to Jacob's request of Joseph? What is the meaning of the gesture of Joseph placing his hand under Jacob's thigh? Why was it important to Jacob that he be buried in the cave of Machpelah with his ancestors? How does this story about Jacob serve as an instruction to us? (56 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Faith, Death

Genesis 47:1-12 In this passage, upon their arrival in Egypt, the family of Israel is presented to Pharaoh. First, the brothers come, hat in hand, asking for the land of Goshen. They openly identify themselves by that which makes them loathsome to the Egyptians. What can we learn from this example? Finally, Jacob is presented to Pharaoh. Why are these two presentations done separately? The two men, Pharaoh and Jacob, are a study in contrasts. How does Jacob's blessing of Pharaoh turn things on their head? What does the Lord want us to learn from Jacob's view of his own "sojourn?" How does Jacob's seemingly pessimistic view coincide with his pronouncing a blessing on Pharaoh? How does Jacob's response to Pharaoh reflect a disposition of faith? (60 min)

Keywords Jacob, Pharaoh, Blessing, Sojourning

Genesis 46:29-34 In this passage today, Jacob and Joseph are finally reunited after twenty-two years. We now see in Jacob something we've not seen in his entire life: contentment. What do we learn about Joseph as he weeps on his father's neck? Two men could hardly be more different in how they have lived their lives. Yet this father and son have something remarkable in common. What is that, and how does it make this reunion like a theophany? Why does Joseph insist on Pharaoh knowing that his family are shepherds and keepers of livestock knowing the Egyptians hold such people in contempt? Why does God allow the family of Israel to experience such contempt, and eventually slavery? What can we learn from this about suffering in our own lives? (43 min.)

Keywords Joseph, Jacob, Egypt

Genesis 46:19-28 There is a purpose in the genealogies in Scripture. In this lesson we continue to consider the genealogy describing who went down to Egypt with Jacob. What is the purpose of this genealogy, and what are we to learn from it? What is the significance of the men in this list. Why is the narrator so focused on achieving the number of seventy? How does this group of people compare to those that come out of Egypt four hundred years later? What kind of a day do we live in, and why are our faithfulnesses important? What is so encouraging about Judah leading the family to Goshen? (47 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Genealogies

Genesis 43:16-25 Joseph, seeing his brothers have returned with Benjamin, now puts into action his carefully measured plan. How does the house steward play into this, and what does he think of it? A dominant motif of the narrative is what Joseph knows and what his brothers don't know. What lesson can we learn from this? When the brothers are brought to Joseph's house, they are filled with dread. What is it they fear, and why are the apparently thinking so much about their donkeys? What is the unexpected word his brothers hear when finally at the threshold of their long festering dread? How is this a picture to us of our God? (48 min)

Keywords Joseph, Fear, Peace, Shalom

Genesis 35:16-29 Jacob continues his journey back home to his father's house. While encamped near Migdal Eder (the Tower of the Flock) Reuben, his first born son, commits an atrocious act. What was the significance of Reuben's deed? Finally reunited with his father, Jacob is there when Isaac dies, and Jacob joins Esau, his once estranged brother, in burying him. On the journey to Migdal Eder, Rachel dies in giving birth to Jacob's twelfth son, Benjamin. What is the profound significance of this story about Rachel's travail and Benjamin's birth? How can we draw encouragement from it? (56 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Bethlehem, Benjamin, Migdal Eder

Genesis 35:8-15 Why does our narrator bring up the death and burial of Deborah, of whom we know virtually nothing? A striking and important aspect of today's passage is the number of things which occur which have occurred before. What is the significance of all of the repetitions? Among these are Jacob's return to Bethel, even as Abraham returned to Bethel, God's second appearance to Jacob at Bethel, God's renaming of Jacob, and God’s restating again, for the twelfth time, the covenant promises. What are the lessons we can learn from Bethel that have application in our own experiences? (50 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Bethel, Covenant

Genesis 35:1-8 God uses the disasters at Shechem to move Jacob on to Bethel. Shechem was never intended to be a destination, only a portal to another place. What happens when we get stuck at Shechem, and why is it important that we move on to Bethel? How do we become like the world when we define our spirituality by how we are not like the world? What encouraging change do we see in Jacob in this part of his life? Do we really practice idolatry in our modern world, and if so, how? (57 min)

Keywords Jacob, Shechem, Idols, Bethel

Genesis 34:8-31 Shechem's rape of Jacob's daughter, Dinah, triggered a sequence of events which helped shape the future of the nation of Israel, and which provide us with important spiritual lessons for our lives today. What was enticing about the offer Hamor made to Jacob? Why was it perilous to Jacob? What was wrong with the counter offer made by Jacob's sons? How is their abuse of circumcision paralleled in our modern day? Why does scripture censure the retribution of Simeon and Levi, yet clearly condones the wars involved in the conquest of Canaan? How did God turn these disastrous circumstances into good for His purposes? (59 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Dinah, Simeon, Levi

Genesis 34:1-12 Instead of stopping only briefly at Shechem, Jacob spends many years there, with tragic consequences for his family. When Dinah goes out to visit the daughters of the land, she is taken and raped by the prince Shechem. What happens when we fail to obey God and more forward in our relationship with HIm? What are the interpretive flags that help us to understand what God is teaching us in this passage? Why is so little said of Jacob's reaction to the rape of his daughter? Why is so little said about the actual rape, but so much more said about the events the rape precipitated? Why is Jacob's passivity so dangerous? (63 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Dinah, Leah

Genesis 33:12-20 From last week's passage we consider the importance of Jacob owning his own wrongs he had committed against Esau. Then in today's passage we finally uncover the reason for Esau bringing 400 armed men to meet Jacob. Having now been reconciled, what are the assumptions that Esau makes which differ from how Jacob views things? What are the differences between Jacob and Esau? Where is Succoth, and why is that important to the story? How does Jacob finally come to Shechem? What is the significance of Shechem in the lives of Abraman and Jacob, and in the broader biblical narrative? What will we make of the Shechems in our lives? Why does Jacob name his altar El Elohe Israel? (50 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Esau, Reconciliation, Shechem

Genesis 33:1-11 With not a moment to rest, Jacob goes from his wrestling match with God to his encounter with Esau. He does not retreat or wait passively, but moves forward towards reconciliation. What is the significance of the arrangement of the mothers and children? How does Jacob's bowing and Esau's running work out? How have these two brothers changed, and what changed them? How can we preach a gospel of reconciliation and yet resist reconciling with those we've wronged or been wronged by? What did Jacob mean by saying that his encounter with Esau was like seeing the face of God? Why did Esau first refuse Jacob's gift, and then receive it? (56 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Esau, Reconciliation

Genesis 32:24-32 In this passage we read of a mysterious encounter Jacob has with a "man" on the night before he meets Esau. Why so much mystery surrounding this event? Eventually we discover who the man really is, but other mysteries remain. Why could God not prevail over Jacob? What was the significance of the crippling blow to Jacob's thigh? Once he can no longer wrestle the "man," to what does Jacob resort to secure the blessing he sought? What is the significance of God asking Jacob to declare his name? After a long night of fear and struggle, we find the sun rising on Jacob. A new man crosses at Penuel. (54 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Esau, Blessing

Genesis 32:13-23 After his desperate prayer to God for protection from his brother, Esau, Jacob sets about to prepare for meeting Esau. Was Jacob acting in faith or not? Why the massive present he assembled for his brother? Why did he stress to his servants to tell Esau that he was coming right behind them? Why does the narrator seem to stress that it is night? How must Esau have responded upon this constant arrival of Jacob's present? What was important to happen before Jacob could encounter God as he does in the following passage?

Keywords Jacob, Esau

Genesis 32:1-12 By the intervention of God, Jacob has escaped from one frightening prospect, the one presented by Laban. But now he must move forward, under God's command, to face an even greater fear, his brother Esau. What kind of changes have taken place in Jacob's heart that have prepared him for this meeting? What terrifying news does he receive from the messengers whom he sent to Esau. What can we learn from Jacob's prayer that can help us to pray well when we are confronted by our worst fears? (60 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Esau

Genesis 31:43-55 Two key themes in Genesis resurface in this passage: The two lines of mankind, and the idea of covenant. What are all the sets of twos we see in these verses, and what are they intended to show us? How is this passage crucial to the unfolding drama of God's people? What is the significance of Laban asking for a covenant with his own relative? What are some characteristics of the seed of the serpent? Why does Jacob erect a pillar, and what does it mean to himself or to Laban? How did Jacob come to to call his God the Fear of Isaac? What are the contrasting destinies of these two men? (59 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Covenant

Genesis 31:31-42 Jacob now answers Laban's charges as to why he slipped away unannounced and about the stolen idols. He invites Laban to search for his idols, which he does in a most thorough manner. What really is the point of this narrative? How must Jacob have felt in watching this intrusive search? What is so significant about what Rachel did in sitting on the idols? How did Jacob, in the heat of the moment manage to express his complaint in such an eloquent and poetic manner? What is the Fear of Isaac? How does Jacob's God compare with Laban's idols? (57 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Idols

Genesis 31:17-30 It is time for Jacob to go home. God has finished the work He was doing in Jacob's life for twenty years in Paddan-aram. But Jacob cannot leave easily. His fear of what Laban will do causes him to act deceptively and leave secretly. Was this really necessary? What if you had been there to see Jacob cross the Euphrates River twenty years earlier? How would you have accessed Jacob, compared to this second crossing? Why does the narrator stress so emphatically Jacob's belongings? What were Laban's teraphim, and why did Rachel steal them? How were Jacob's and Rachel's actions paralleled by the narrator? How did the irony of Laban's teraphim being stolen escape his notice? (55 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Rachel

Genesis 31:1-16 Things take a turn for the worse in Jacob's relationship with Laban and his sons, and Jacob's situation becomes tenuous, even dangerous. How does God use our circumstances to direct us? What is the significance of God being "with" someone? What are the three reasons that Laban's wealth was transferred to Jacob? What part did Laban play in that transfer? What lesson can we learn from Rachel's and Leah's realization that they no longer had a portion or inheritance in their father's house? What, ultimately, will happen to all the riches of the world? (56 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Blessing, Bethel

Genesis 30:37-43 The Bible contains a number of very difficult passages to understand. This is one of them, and is difficult on several levels. What should we do when we encounter very difficult passages? What exactly was Jacob doing with all those rods and sheep and goats? Did what Jacob do have any affect on the outcome, and if so, how? We look at a number of puzzling cases in Scripture similar to this one with Jacob. What can we learn from all these examples of human devices? What relevance or application does this passage have to our lives today? (66 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban

Genesis 30:25-36 God "remembered" Rachel. What does that mean? Had He forgotten her? Rachel's son becomes central to the unfolding story about the Children of Israel. Jacob now enters into negotiations with Laban regarding his desire to return home, but does Jacob really have a home? How was Jacob's sojourn changed as a result of his encounter at Bethel. What does Jacob possess that Laban desperately wants? What exactly is the agreement that Jacob and Laban reach? What does Laban do as soon as the agreement is made? How do we respond when we are wronged or taken advantage of by others? How should we view things when that happens? (61 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Laban

Genesis 30:1-24 The unfolding story of the birth of Jacob's sons continues. But Rachel is jealous of her sister, Leah, and Leah is jealous of her sister, Rachel. What are the results of discontentment and jealousy? What exactly is jealousy? How can we distinguish legitimate yearnings from discontentment? With whom are we really struggling when we struggle with others? What could Rachel have done for Leah? Is it reasonable to expect her to do that? What can we learn from this confusing and difficult story? (65 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Leah

Genesis 29:21-35 Laban's plan to trick Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel is very risky. So much could have gone wrong. How did he pull it off? Where was God in this, and why didn't He intervene? In a sudden moment, when least expected, Jacob's great anticipation and hope is shattered. Can any good come out of this? What is God doing in Jacob's life, in the future of Israel, and in Leah's life? Speaking of Leah, she was complicit in this scheme. Why? What is Jacob's attitude toward Leah, and was it justified? Why does Paul warn husbands not to be embittered towards their wives? What great good comes in Leah's life? How did she respond? (62 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Leah, Rachel

Genesis 29:13-20 As we proceed through our story about Jacob in Haran, we encounter continuously repeated references to the family relationship. Why is that? What does Jacob do during that first month he stays with Laban? What are the differences between Laban's two daughters, and how does that play into the unfolding events? Things finally seem to be going pretty well now for Jacob, and he is filled with hope and expectation. Why does God allow him to experience such hope and anticipation, only to allow the rug to be pulled out from under him? What is God doing? (58 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Laban, Leah

Genesis 29:1-12 Having left his Bethel experience, Jacob travels on to arrive in the "land of the peoples of the east." Why is Haran uniquely referred to in this way in this passage? How will the experience of Bethel change Jacob, and what will it take? What kinds of things do we discover about Jacob's character in this account at the well? How does this account of the well compare and contrast with the earlier account in chapter 24 about Abraham's servant? Why is that important? What difference does it make whether or not we see God's hand in the things He does in our lives? (57 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Bethel, Laban

Genesis 28:10-22 Jacob leaves Beersheba and heads to Haran, a fugitive from his brother's wrath. Putting yourself in Jacob's sandals, what would you be thinking about one hour out of Beersheba? Three days later he arrives at a nondescript place and lays down to sleep. What he encounters in his dream that night alters his own life and the history of Israel. What is the ultimate fulfillment of that dream? Whom does he encounter, and what is he promised? Why does he erect a memorial in this place? Will what happens this night influence him only for a time, or will it have a life long impact? Jacob came to this place a fugitive, but he leaves Bethel a pilgrim. What will it take for him to return to his family in peace and be reconciled to Esau? (62 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Esau, Bethel

Genesis 27:41-28:9 The wrong done to Esau leaves him with deep wounds and a festering bitterness. How he deals with it reveals him to be, like Cain, of the seed of the serpent. Rebekah's discovery of Esau's murderous intent leads her to take quick action. What are the two things from which Rebekah seeks to protect Jacob? Why does Rebekah tell Isaac that if Jacob marries a daughter of Canaan that her life will be nothing to her? How does Esau respond to the discovery of his father's displeasure? As an aside, to whom is the prophet referring when he speaks of God loving Jacob and hating Esau, and for what did God choose Jacob, and why is it important to know? (62 min.)

Keywords Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, Esau, Exile

Genesis 27:30-41 It turns out to be a very close call as Jacob leaves his father's presence and Esau returns from the hunt. What is Scripture saying to us in recording this? When Isaac discovers he has been deceived by Jacob and given the blessing to Jacob instead of Esau, he begins trembling violently. What has upset Isaac so severely? Esau repeatedly in tears pleads with his father to bless him anyway. But each request is rebuffed with a more severe denial. Why? Hebrews 12 uses Esau's story as an illustration to us of a certain principle. What is it? How is what is at stake in Hebrews different from what is at stake in Genesis? What does it mean that Esau could find no room for repentance? (62 min)

Keywords Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Blessing

Genesis 27:18-29 An old blind father encounters the deceiving son. The picture is not a pretty one. Spiritual blind spots in our lives can have disastrous consequences. How is spiritual blindness different from other faults? How do we avoid spiritual blindness? The lies and deceptions roll off Jacob's tongue like water. By what sophistry does he justify such cold, calculated deception, especially of his father? All the parties in this event behave wrongly. So, what will the outcome be? We see a remarkable turn of events when Isaac prophesies the future, even the future of our salvation. (49 min.)

Keywords Isaac, Jacob, Blessing, Esau

Genesis 26:34-27:17 Returning to the story on the struggle between Esau and Jacob, we encounter the account of the stealing of the birthright from Esau. We find in this passage four different individuals who represent to us four ploys which Satan uses to counter God's spiritual purposes in our lives. Which one of these individuals am I most like? For what is the blindness of Isaac a metaphor? What were Rebekah's strength and weakness? What is wrong with Jacob's response to his mother's proposal. This was an urgent situation. What other options did Rebekah and Jacob have by which they may have prevented Isaac's impending blunder? (55 min)

Keywords Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob, Blessing, Birthright

Genesis 26:1-17 Our story line returns in this chapter to the story of Isaac. Why does the narrator interrupt his story of the conflict between Jacob and Esau to tell us these stories about their father Isaac? There is a striking theme in this chapter of the continuity between the lives of Isaac and his father Abraham. What are those continuities, and why are they important to our understanding? How did God want Isaac to think about his stay in the land of Gerar? Why is God’s reference to His oath so important to Isaac? How was it that Abraham so thoroughly obeyed God? Why did Isaac engage in the ruse concerning Rebekah? What precious gleaming gem of truth about Isaac and Rebekah do we find in this mud hole of his deception? How did the remarkable prosperity of Isaac affect his neighbors, the Philistines? Why did Isaac not stand his ground and insist on his rights? (62 min)

Keywords Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Birthright, Blessing

Genesis 25:27-34 The twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah, born under such unusual circumstances, have now grown to young adulthood. They are strikingly different personalities, but far more importantly, they have dramatic differences in what they value. What influence might Abraham have had on his new grandsons? How did the favoritism of Isaac and Rebekah influence their sons? What was the nagging issue the stalked Jacob's mind as he grew up? What was he thinking about when Esau came in famished from the field? What, if any, was the distinction between the birthright and the blessing? How must the heart of God felt when Esau despised his birthright? Why is thankfulness so heavily stressed in Scripture? (56 min)

Keywords Jacob, Esau, Birthright

Genesis 25:19-26 We are moving on into the next section or "toledot" of Genesis. Why does Isaac get so much less of his story told than his father, Abraham, or his son, Jacob? Is there a lesson there for us? How does Isaac respond to his wife's inability to conceive a child? The pregnancy that finally occurs turns out to be very difficult. Why? A new major theme surfaces in Genesis. What is it? What is God's explanation to Rebekah for the violent struggle she is feeling? Is it O.K. for us to ask God "why?" How should we respond to His answer? (59 min)

Keywords Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Rebekah